Weight gain and aging

Weight management is not about how much you exercise, nor is the volume of food you eat.

In a recent study, carried out over 20 years showed that the type of food eaten was the greatest causal factor for weight gain and not the volume of food consumed or the lack of exercise.

The following foods were seen to cause the greatest weight gain in participants taking part in the study:

• French fries (2 lbs per four-year period)
• potato chips (1.69 lbs)
• potatoes (1.28 lbs)
• Other forms of potatoes (0.57 lb)
• sugar-sweetened beverages (1 lb)
• red meats (0.95 lb)
• processed meats (0.93 lb)
• refined grains (0.39 lb)
• sweets and desserts (0.41 lb)
• other fried foods (0.32 lb)
• fruit juice (0.31 lb)
• butter (0.3 lb)

So in order to avoid gaining the roughly 17 pounds in 20 year, the study recommended we eat foods that promote weight loss:

• Vegetables (-0.22 lb per four-year period)
• Whole grains (-0.37 lb)
• Fruits (-0.49 lb)
• Nuts (-0.57 lb)
• Yogurt (-0.82 lb)

Other recommendations to better limit weight gain include: Daily exercise, 6 to 8 hours of sleep per day, restricted television watching, avoiding smoking and not consuming more than one alcholic beverage per day.